“From the day he stepped into office, Pete Ricketts has demonstrated special tax breaks for the rich while abandoning the rest of us,” Krist tells reporters during a Capitol Rotunda news conference. “In fact, (the) governor’s tax reform bill, LB 947, would have resulted in as much as a $13 million windfall for T.D. Ameritrade, his family’s company.”

Gov. Ricketts backed Legislative Bill 947 this year. It proposed a phase-in of property tax relief as well as a cut in the corporate income tax from 7.81% to 6.84%.

Ricketts declines to address the criticism directly.

“Well, first of all, I think when you’re talking about political attacks that you really need to go talk to the campaign on that and that’s all that is,” Ricketts tells reporters when asked about the Krist assertion.

Ricketts does defend his proposal, saying LB 947 grew out of much consultation with state senators and interest groups in an effort to overcome a filibuster.

“And we know that getting to the threshold of 33 votes is difficult, that it requires a super majority, and in the case of the property tax bill we had a minority of senators who were insisting upon raising taxes and you cannot get tax relief by raising taxes,” according to Ricketts.